Before you know it, it will be fantasy football draft time. During the next month or so, I will be conducting several mock drafts. During the drafts, I will pick in all 12 positions, with all sorts of scenarios.
As a rule, I prefer to draft three starting running backs within the first four rounds. It is a tried-and-true strategy, which has done me well for 20-plus years. The mock drafts I do will all assume 12 teams are in the league (unless otherwise noted) with the following positions: quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end), kicker, team defense and six bench spots. It is a 16-round snake draft.
Here is scenario No. 11. (See also: Scenario No. 1, Scenario No. 2, Scenario 3, Scenario 4, Scenario 5, Scenario 6, Scenario 7, Scenario 8, Scenario 9, Scenario 10, 16-team scenario, superflex scenario, 10-team scenario and a unique format scenario.)
I have the 11th overall pick; let’s see how it all works out. In this format, I am playing in a half-point-per-reception league (half-PPR), which means that every reception is worth a half-point.
You can see the entire draft by clicking here.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 11: Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 2, Pick 2: Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team
Round 3, Pick 11: Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 4, Pick 2: Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Round 5, Pick 11: Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Round 6, Pick 2: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
Round 7, Pick 11: Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 8, Pick 2: Antonio Brown, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 9, Pick 11: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 10, Pick 2: Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions
Round 11, Pick 11: Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears
Round 12, Pick 2: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 13, Pick 11: Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST
Round 14, Pick 2: Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens
Round 15, Pick 11: Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 16, Pick 2: Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers
Some Observations:
My overall strategy in a half-PPR league is to treat it like a PPR league. You get a slight bonus for players who are double-digit touchdown players, but not enough to overhaul the rankings a bunch. Derrick Henry-type players may get an uptick in this format, for example.
A draft is all about choices …
Do I select player A or Player B, Do I follow average draft position (ADP) or do I follow my rankings? Do I want a backup running back before I want a starting tight end? And so on.
At the end of the day, take “your” guys and that is what I did in this draft. I reached for some players. I ignored ADP and built a team I like with players who have upside.
I like stacks (taking players from the same team). I double-stacked this team with Chargers (Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Justin Herbert) and Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence and Laviska Shenault Jr.).
I took my guys … T.J. Hockenson, Robert Woods and Terrace Marshall Jr.
I opted for upside with Chase Edmonds, Darnell Mooney, Jalen Reagor and Antonio Gibson.
I like the mix … I love the upside, but mostly I love that I wasn’t a slave to ADP and took my guys.
So what do you think of this team? Let me know at @FansFantasy.
Please try a mock yourself as practice makes perfect. You can mock in minutes by clicking here.
Ken Zalis ranked No. 3 in FantasyPros’ 2019 Fantasy Football Draft Accuracy Rankings.